SriLankan Airlines

One of the worst airline experiences I have ever had with SriLankan Airlines. My husband specifically paid extra for extra legroom seats because I was unwell and suffer from swollen feet during long flights. Despite paying for these seats in… Read more

advance, the airline changed the aircraft and reassigned our seats to other passengers without any refund or proper explanation.

What made the experience even worse was the treatment from one of the cabin crew members, [Name Removed], who was extremely rude and dismissive throughout the flight. I was in visible discomfort due to severe swelling in my feet and politely requested to temporarily use a row of empty seats nearby until the crew needed them. Instead of showing basic compassion, she repeatedly refused and spoke rudely, even rolling her eyes when I asked for vegetarian food after being served the wrong meal.

On multiple occasions, my call button was simply switched off without even asking what I needed. I was ignored, not properly served dinner, and treated with complete lack of empathy despite clearly struggling physically during the flight.

Taking away paid seats is already unacceptable, but combining that with such poor customer service made this journey stressful and humiliating. I expected far better professionalism and care from an international airline.

I will not be choosing SriLankan Airlines again unless this issue is properly addressed.

I am writing to express my extreme disappointment and continued distress over the appalling treatment my family and I received from your ground staff on 1st March 2022. The agony and trauma from that incident remain fresh to this day, and it is deeply disappointing that SriLankan Airlines has still not provided any resolution, acknowledgement, or… Read more

apology despite being clearly at fault. On that day, we were denied boarding on our scheduled flight on the grounds that my 8-year-old son did not have a PCR test, even though at that time, children of his age were exempt from such requirements. Despite this, we immediately arranged for an on-site PCR test through Histopath at the airport and presented a negative result well before the check-in closed. Shockingly, we were still refused boarding — seemingly because the ground staff’s ego was hurt, not because of any legitimate procedural issue. After being turned away, we spent hours on calls with both SriLankan Airlines head office and our travel agent, who confirmed that we had been approved to fly on the next available flight (2nd March at 12:30 a.m.). However, upon arriving at the airport, the ground staff again had no record of our rebooking. We were left stranded for hours, emotionally and physically exhausted, while your staff blamed each other instead of helping. Eventually, one compassionate staff member took pity on us and offered to make a new booking—but only if we paid an additional AUD $5,528. We had no choice but to comply, as we were desperate to travel and could not afford to remain stranded indefinitely. On top of this, we lost our TRS refund claim worth AUD $620 and our connecting flight from Delhi to Jammu worth AUD $350, bringing our total financial loss to approximately AUD $6,500. What made this situation even more unbearable was the arrogant and inhumane behavior of your ground staff. When my son, who was terrified and crying, tried to understand what was happening, one staff member mockingly remarked that we should “stop playing the victim card.” This was not only unprofessional but deeply insensitive, especially as I had already indicated in our booking that my wife suffers from OCD and severe anxiety, and required special assistance. Instead of empathy, we were met with humiliation. The inconsistency in how your staff handled the situation was shocking — one team went so far as to delay the next flight by one hour to accommodate us, while another treated us as if we were at fault. This level of discrepancy and lack of coordination is unacceptable for an international airline. We have multiple witnesses (both passengers and airport visitors) who can testify to the events that took place on 1st and 2nd March 2022. Before escalating this matter to social and public platforms, I urge SriLankan Airlines’ senior management to take this issue seriously and provide a formal explanation, apology, and reimbursement for the losses incurred due to your staff’s negligence and misconduct. This incident remains one of the most distressing experiences of our lives, and the lack of response over the past years only adds to the trauma. I expect to hear from your leadership team urgently with a clear plan for resolution. Reference: CMB/P/IW/2022.03.09/10198 Booking Reference: RA8711353 m

Pathetic customer service. Booked a flight for my partner from Sydney to Delhi via Colombo. Paid extra for seat with extra leg space. A few days before the flight they changed the seat on one sector to one of the standard seats and right back of the aircraft. When questioned they mentioned it was done due to change of aircraft and firstly said… Read more

that the seats were similar which they were not and then referred to some clause whereby the airline has the right to change the seating due to various reasons. We escalated the matter, received a similar response and no offer for a refund. On asking about the refund we were told that we needed to apply for it. Wasn't it their responsibility to refund and wasn't the correspondence enough for them to process it—no further response even after copying in the CEO. This is after booking directly with the Airline. Now the pressure is on the airline staff and crew to redeem themselves because clearly the executives do not care.

I recently had the pleasure of flying SriLankan Airlines from Sydney to Colombo, and it turned out to be one of the best travel experiences I’ve had in quite some time. Having flown frequently across the Pacific and Asia over the past couple of years, this flight truly stood out as memorable. From the moment we boarded, the service reflected the… Read more

warm and genuine hospitality for which Sri Lanka is known. The flight crew were friendly, attentive, and consistently went out of their way to ensure passengers were comfortable. Unlike many other Asian carriers, liquor was openly available throughout the service, alongside a choice of red and white wines—no special request was needed. The two economy meals, served after take-off and before landing, were both generous and delicious. This was a refreshing change from the typical second meal of just a sandwich that many airlines now provide.

The crew were also proactive throughout the 10-hour journey—keeping the cabin clean, checking in regularly, and happily refilling my gin and tonics with a smile. These small touches really elevated the experience.

There are, however, a few areas where SriLankan could further enhance the experience. A nice improvement would be to embrace a typically Sri Lankan touch by offering a drink service with light snacks (avoiding nuts due to allergies) before the main meal service, allowing passengers to enjoy refills more seamlessly during the meal. It would also be great to see amenities such as toothbrush kits, perfume, and soap readily available in the bathrooms to keep the cabin feeling fresh. And finally, offering free Wi-Fi would align the airline with current industry standards and extend the warmth of Sri Lankan hospitality to restless travellers like myself. Charging for Wi-Fi risks making the airline feel more like a budget carrier, which doesn’t reflect the otherwise premium service provided onboard.

Overall, SriLankan Airlines exceeded my expectations and delivered an enjoyable, comfortable, and memorable journey. I will definitely fly SriLankan again—it makes me feel proud of my heritage. With just a few small enhancements, it could easily compete with the very best carriers in the region. Attention to detail and consistency is the key to success!

“Exceptional Service on UL604 1/12/2024 : Thank You, SriLankan Airlines! – A big thank you to SriLankan Airlines for making our flight UL604 from Colombo to Melbourne on 1/12/2024 so pleasant. The ground staff were very understanding and provided us with extra legroom seats to meet my husband's needs. We truly appreciate their care. The aircraft was clean and well-kept, and the cabin crew maintained a high standard of… Read more

cleanliness throughout the flight. I especially want to commend Danuththara and Mark Lenora for their exceptional service. Their dedication and professionalism were truly impressive. Thank you, SriLankan Airlines, for always providing top-notch service. Note: However, I was initially going to write a completely opposite review about our outbound flight from Melbourne on 4/11/2024, UL605 but the outstanding efforts of these staff changed my mind. If you need my feedback for future improvements please let me know . #SriLankanAirlines #UL604 #airline #travel #flightattendant #groundstaff

Good inflight service! – The inflight service service was exceptional, good service tasty food and a good choice of liquor. Baggage handling was great, and I took care of my goods well without any damage. Show details

I flew UL604 on 17th May, checked online and waited to be boarded inside gate 8. Announcement was made for passengers 57 to 67 to board and no other announcements were made. Passengers kept on boarding in utter confusion and people just walked in while a poor single officer couldn’t even check the tickets. Most of us were waiting and finally we… Read more

too walked through the gate . By the time I arrived at my seat there was no room in the overhead cabin. Air hostess wanted to store it somewhere else and having read about in flight thefts in SriLankan air I said I wanted it in a place where I can see it because it had valuables. The Air hostess said very rudely she will offload it . She could have been more concerned and courteous.

I noticed some Indian passengers had 1 hand luggage and 2 bags in hand which is why there was no room in overhead cabin. Also there were too many cabin crew on board that I have not seen on my 15 years of flying experience.

Terrible experience and last June 2024 when I flew the same passage in Srilanka Airways my husband checked in as a Business class passenger, our main baggage had been opened and goods stolen .

Flights were delayed or cancelled . Planes are old ( one failed the engineer’s clearance so cancelled the flight ! ) Service was mediocre and no water available on flight. Entertainment on TV was fine Show details

Inflight entertainment systems don’t work well. Staff fail to answer call bells from passengers Online checking was easy Food is average Seats have decent leg room Toilets could be cleaner Show details

My wife had a fully paid ticket with SriLankan Airlines (Flight UL606, scheduled departure 26 April at 00:20), but was informed at check-in that the flight had been overbooked and she could not board. This left her stranded in Sri Lanka, with no prior warning. To the airline’s credit, accommodation and transport were provided, which we… Read more

appreciate. However, the experience caused significant emotional distress and disruption — especially given that this was meant to be a confirmed ticket.

We are loyal to SriLankan Airlines and want to continue supporting our national carrier. But situations like this undermine trust. Overbooking might be industry practice, but passengers deserve clear communication, advance notice, and fair compensation when bumped off a flight they paid for in full.

I am writing to express my extreme dissatisfaction with the handling of SriLankan Airlines flight UL605 scheduled for departure on April 19, 2025. First, the flight was delayed without proper communication. We were told a minor issue would be fixed in 20 minutes, but we ended up sitting inside the aircraft for five exhausting hours. During this… Read more

entire time, no clear updates were given, and the passengers – including elderly travelers and families – were left in limbo.

Eventually, the flight was cancelled. We were then asked to disembark and stand in massive queues of around 300 people with only four ground staff trying to manage the chaos. Meanwhile, the entire cabin crew disappeared. The lack of organization was astounding. Some passengers were randomly offered hotel stays, others were told to take a free Uber home and return the next day – with zero clarity on next steps.

Now it’s April 20th, and I am still at home with no official update from the airline regarding rebooking, refunds, or rescheduling. This level of unprofessionalism and disregard for customers is absolutely unacceptable.

Why was the aircraft not properly checked before boarding began? Why weren’t contingency plans in place? And why is there no follow-up from the airline even 24 hours later?

This is not just a failure of operations – it reflects a complete failure in customer care and crisis management. I urge you to take responsibility and treat your passengers with the respect and communication they deserve.

I am writing to express my deep dissatisfaction with the level of service I received during my recent travels with your Sri Lankan airline. As a frequent traveler who visits Sri Lanka every six months, I have unfortunately witnessed every time consistent decline in the quality of customer service, particularly towards disabled passengers. It is… Read more

extremely disappointing to see the staff's lack of professionalism and laziness, both on the plane and in the airport. The flight attendants seem to rush through their duties without any regard for passenger comfort, and I have observed staff members just wanted to sleep instead of providing adequate service. This behavior is unprofessional and unacceptable, especially when dealing with passengers who require extra assistance.

Moreover, disabled passengers, including myself, are treated with complete disregard no help taken luggage or putting them up. I was shocked to see that passengers with disabilities were the last to board the plane and were given no help when getting on or off. To make matters worse, at the airport, disabled passengers are left waiting for over an hour in the heat until lazy staff turn up, without any support, while non-disabled passengers are prioritized. The behavior of the staff in this regard is appalling and reflects poorly on the airlanka and the country's hospitality as a whole.

It is clear that the Sri Lankan airline staff, including those working at the airport custom officers, are not adequately trained or committed to providing the service that all disabled need, especially those with disabilities, deserve. I strongly believe that these staff members should be held accountable for their actions and that there should be an immediate review of customer service protocols, especially for vulnerable disabilitie passengers.

I hope that you take this complaint seriously and take swift action to improve the service standards and treatment of all passengers, particularly those with special needs. The current state of affairs is unacceptable, and I trust you will address this issue with the urgency it deserves.

Atrocious customer service – Made the mistake of booking my mother-in-law on Sri Lankan Airlines. When she had to return early due to a sick relative they were absolutely useless with offering any assistance to change flights. No response to emails, call centre staff hanging up on us and just general rude staff across the board. Show details

DO NOT TRUST THIS AIRLINE – DO NOT USE THIS AIRLINE! As a special Christmas present I upgraded my husband and myself for the second leg of our trip from Singapore to Colombo. I paid an extra $741 AUD to upgrade from Economy to Business.When checking into the aircraft we were asked to step aside and a Sri Lankans Airlines Representative explained to us that due to a change in… Read more

aircraft they were no longer able to upgrade us and we would be seated in economy. This flight was on December 26 2024 and we have still had no refund of our money paid for the upgrade. The airlines were very quick to take the money from our account but have made no attempt at an apology or contact with us as to the return of our money. I have now written many emails and have spent time on hold just to be told it is not their problem and I will need to contact someone in Sri Lanka- who then tells me to file a complaint! I have done so - and still no funds have been returned. My advice is to please NEVER USE THIS AIRLINE. The administration is appalling - DO NOT TRUST THEM

The chaos of a beautiful story – I’ve been travelling with this airline for last 20 years and have seen how this, once a great airline is now bleeding to a slow death. There had been delays all over the place and I think I am finally done with this airline. It is understandable, when an airline get delayed for valid reasons. But with this airline, almost all the flights that are… Read more

running across the world are delayed everyday. It is sad that they don’t tell you much, so they can save money by not providing meal vouchers, room vouchers, etc as compensation. But I do not know what happens to the passengers on the connecting flights with less connection time. Smart thinking, but you are losing all your customers. Remember, the word of mouth is stronger than any marketing tool and regular traveler’s will outsmart you.

Worst airline in Asia – Worst airline ever. The flights are always delayed and never inform before hand. Even the the flight is delayed they act like its not their fault. Can't even handle meals properly. Once they serve the front rows, back rows only have Veg meals for non-veg passengers. Worst part is they act like its not their fault. I would strongly advise against booking with this airline

Very unorganised and unprofessional – We were supposed to fly from Sri Lanka to Melbourne on the 9th of Nov but our flight got delayed twice and eventually got canceled. Had to stay in a hotel for 2 days for the next flight. It was very unorganised and the staff was busy chatting to each other and laughing. Highly not recommended.

Terrible customer service – I recently flew from Sri Lanka to Melbourne on flight UL 604 on August 26th. As a Sri Lankan, I feel sad and disappointed with the customer service. It seemed like foreign travelers were treated better, while Sri Lankan passengers didn’t get the same attention. I asked for a fish meal and was told there were none left, but then I saw the same meal… Read more

given to another passenger after me. The staff member, Yassasi, said it was just fish and rice, but it was clearly more than that.

It’s upsetting that there are no other airlines flying directly from Sri Lanka to Melbourne, as this experience would make me reconsider flying with SriLankan Airlines. I hope they improve their service and treat everyone equally.

Terrible flight and non existent customer response – I booked my tickets in February 2024 and was very unhappy with my recent flight with Sri Lankan airlines. Initially going to Columbo we were not honoured with the seats that i had selected when booking. We had booked two seats near the window instead were put in the middle row. My husbands seat did not recline, our entertainment system was not… Read more

working properly, it kept pausing and stopping the movie, the screen was dirty with sauce, it was a very uncomfortable flight.

Coming home from Columbo I had paid for certain seats, again this was not honoured. I went to the service desk and the lady said these are paid seats but as far as i knew i had paid for them. I have receipts to prove that i had paid for seats. Again we were put in the middle seats which is not what i had booked.

As suggested by the service desk I emailed customer@srilankan.com on the 25 July 2024. The return email said they will respond after 12 working days. Today is the 15 August 2024 and i still have not heard back from them. I emailed them again on the 13 August 2024 and did not even receive a receipt email.

I paid approximately $4500 for two people plus extra for seats for return flights Melbourne to Columbo.

This is not good enough from Sri Lankan airlines. Non existent customer service. Extremely disappointint. I am owed a refund for the seats that i paid extra for and can't even get a hold of them. I would not recommend them and don't advise anyone to fly with Sri Lankan airlines.